Long Live the Hef

Posted On 29 Sep 2017 / 0 Comment

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An end of an era literally died. Hugh Hefner passed away on Wednesday ironically referred to as “hump day” by many at the age of 91. Hefner, when he died was an icon of a bygone era some referring to him a relic of the era.

Hefner’s name will forever be tied to beautiful young woman and a cartoon bunny. As the founder of Playboy magazine in the mid 1950s he ushered in what was to become the sexual revolution.

Playboy is a gentlemen’s magazine however it is most famous for its nude pictorials and famous centerfolds. Many a man has and still does pick the magazine up exclusively for the centerfold reading the bio of the featured model all in unrealistic hopes she will come to life and after reading her bio wonder is they “have a chance” with her.

Critics of Hefner and the magazine see him as misogynistic, chauvinistic and exploitive of women. Others see him as a pioneer and actually a cultural icon.

While critics argue Playboy objectified women others will argue and rightly so it celebrated women. The female form has been celebrated and admired by artists for centuries. Prior to Playboy the female form had been recreated in stone, granite, paint, wood, plaster and about every kind of element. Hefner brought it into the 20th century by capturing it through photography. Unlike his rivals and contemporaries like Larry Flynt and Bob Guccione Hefner’s magazines were not necessarily sexual in nature originally. Playboy created an industry that bastardized its initial purpose of being a gentlemen’s magazine.

While it’s been a running joke for decades Playboy featured top-notch editorial content. And while every guy out there jokes they pick it up for the articles unlike Hustler, Penthouse and hundreds of others that popped up during the sexual revolution all the content – actually a small percentage was focused on sex and nudity. Some of the most influential writers once graced the pages of Playboy over the years such as Hunter S. Thompson, Norman Mailer, Ray Bradbury, Roald Dahl, Jack Kerouac, Kurt Vonnegut, Gore Vidal and Ian Fleming. Playboy’s pages were filled with articles not only about the sexual revolution they started but politics, music, pop culture and yes, even technology.

And while they are most remembered for centerfolds and nude pictorials and nowadays often derided about it by critics Playboy allowed actual liberation of women who before its debut were more so objectified and held down. Thanks to the sexual revolution women were able to express themselves outside of the traditional norm of being subservient to men allowing them to break out of traditional roles of being married and looked down upon if they weren’t married with children by their early 20s.

Playboy introduced generations of males to the female form for the first time sometimes in joking fashion depicted in pop culture when boys would raid dad’s magazine stash or a mysteriously hidden issue being found in the woods to be discovered by a curious and happy youth.

Despite the iconic photography and stars launched on the covers or centerfolds; many becoming household names Playboy offered the discriminating male an alternative to being a well-rounded man. Hefner’s franchise was from the first “skin” magazine to be printed. They had already been around for decades. Pornography wasn’t something Hefner and Playboy didn’t invent either. The porno or stag film goes almost all the way back to the beginning of the motion picture.

Hefner over the years became an icon of success for men and someone most men if they didn’t admire were jealous. As Playboy gained popularity in the 1960s a number of private clubs around the world opened around the world thus launching the iconic Playboy Bunny. Notable names that at some point wore the bunny ears include Debbie Harry of Blondie, Lauren Hutton, Dale Bozzio of Missing Persons and Sherilyn Fenn to name a few.

However what started in the sexual revolution that brought female empowerment to the forefront started to backfire on Playboy as feminist critics such as Gloria Steinem went on the attack and accused Hefner and his brand of exploiting women and objectifying them. At the height of its popularity the gentlemen’s magazine’s circulation peaked at 7.2 million copies a month. With the explosion in the market during the ‘70s, ‘80s and the advent of the internet circulation for the iconic brand in 2009 was 1.5 million a month. The website averages five million visits a month.

Hefner represented the brand and what a playboy should look like. He was young, well dressed often sporting a pipe showcasing a dapper look. His other iconic look included silk pajamas and a smoking jacket. Later in life he was known for his captain’s hat. He was the icon of the successful male. And that’s what he represented – the successful male who was well read and with an eye for the ladies. Then there was the iconic Playboy mansion were he held court and if you were lucky to be invited to be a guest you would be surrounded by dozens of the most beautiful women on the planet. Stories and movies have been written about Hefner, the mansion and the iconic bunny including the climactic final scene in “Animal House” (“Thank you God”), and “The House Bunny” starring Anna Faris.

The older Hefner got he still remained an icon even if it be of a bygone era. He had already turned over control of the enterprises to his children decades earlier and remained on just as a figurehead. And despite being one who helped usher in the sexual revolution he never became a casualty of it. Despite his many romances Hefner never caught a sexually transmitted disease and unlike some of his competitors attacked and unlike other sexual revolutionaries no one filed suit against him for anything remotely inappropriate.

Hefner passed away Wednesday at the ripe old age of 91. To many he lived to ideal if not iconic life few could ever dream of – or think they could dream up. He was the envy of every male on the planet and that envy was steeped in respect and admiration. And despite an ever-changing world he left the world an iconic brand that will be around forever.